1. An effortful attempt to attain a goal
   "She took great pains to ensure every detail of the wedding was perfect";
   - striving, nisus [archaic]

1. Physical suffering or bodily discomfort
   "as the intensity increased, the sensation changed from tickle to pain"; "The sharp pain sensation in her lower back indicated a possible muscle strain";
   - pain sensation, painful sensation
    
2. Emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid
   "the pain of loneliness";
   - painfulness
    
3. A symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
   "the patient developed severe pain and distension";
   - hurting
    
4. Something or someone that causes annoyance, inconvenience, or makes life more difficult
   "washing dishes was a pain in the neck before we got a dish washer"; "a bit of a pain in the ass";
   - annoyance, bother, botheration [informal], infliction, pain in the neck [informal], nuisance, irritation

1. Cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed
   "The chronic back pain troubled him for years";
   - trouble, ail
    
2. Cause emotional anguish or make miserable
   "It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school";
   - anguish, hurt

Sounds like: pain, pains

Type of: attempt, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, effort, endeavor [US], endeavour [Brit, Cdn], feeling, hurt, negative stimulus, somaesthesia [Brit, Cdn], somatesthesia, somatic sensation, somesthesia [N. Amer], symptom, try, untune [rare], upset

Antonym: pleasance

Encyclopedia: Pains, district of Santa Maria